


Second Chances: Squirrel

by TheCrazyFriend



Series: Second Chances: Squirrel [2]
Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Self-Harm
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-22
Updated: 2019-08-12
Packaged: 2019-09-25 00:33:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 15
Words: 13,383
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17111054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheCrazyFriend/pseuds/TheCrazyFriend
Summary: Max goes back in time to fix it allReader choice. Read second chances: prologue before reading. Storyline one of three





	1. Seattle

“This isn't right...” Max mumbled. She looked around, _this is my room in Seattle_. The largish room had a wall of photographs, mostly of herself and her best friend, Chloe Price and the other three walls were bare, painted a bland white. The floor of her room had boxes strewn all over the floor and belongings scattered across them as if she had been kicking them as hard as she could without any care about what was in them. _How the fuck?_ Max thought, looking down at the photograph and immediately realized where she had gone wrong. Max was holding the wrong photograph, she had intended to use the butterfly photograph to return to the bathroom where Chloe was destined to be murdered by Nathan Prescott to ensure the storm never manifested, but instead she was holding a photograph of a squirrel regardless of the fact that she was certain that Chloe had given her the butterfly photograph. Max vaguely recalled taking the squirrel photograph at the beginning of her time in Seattle and sure enough when she looked out her window she saw the very same squirrel she had taken a picture of a few weeks after arriving there from her childhood home, Arcadia Bay

Max had completely withdrawn into herself for the first two weeks of her time in Seattle, she had refused to speak to anyone and hardly ate, instead choosing to spend her entire time isolated in her locked room. Max's parents, Ryan and Vanessa had been incredibly concerned about their daughter but there wasn't much they could do since she didn't speak to them at all and kept the door locked for the full two weeks. Eventually though, Max had come out of her shell and descended to the living room to join her family. Ryan had immediately looked over at her from the new couch he had spent his first paycheck on, “Max” he breathed and squeezed a hand he had been clearly holding.  
“Maxine” Vanessa whispered once she had peeked over Ryan. She then stood quickly and moved over to her daughter. “What the hell were you thinking?”  
“Vanessa...” Ryan hissed, attempting to warn off his wife that what she had just said would more than likely light Max's very short fuse  
“Oh, what was _I_ thinking?! _I_ wasn’t the one who turned their back on their closest friends!!!” Max was seething, the apparent accusation from her mother was enough for her rage to resurface, the rage that was better to feel than the despair she had felt  
“That wasn't what I meant, Maxine”  
“Fuck off”  
“Maxine! What did you just say?!” Ryan snapped, swearing wasn’t tolerated in the Caulfield residence  
“Oh... Did I fucking stutter?!” Max screamed at her parents, “I told her to FUCK OFF!!”  
“Ryan, please shut the windows” Vanessa stated in a voice of forced calm, there was already a certain amount of interest being drawn from outside, Ryan had been just about to yell back  
“Or just leave the fucking windows alone and I'll fucking yell about...” Ryan had managed to shut the window while Vanessa shut the door, “the fact that you both fucking beat me!!” Max finished  
“What the holy shit?! Beat you, Maxine?!” Vanessa was more than slightly shocked while Max had realized what she just screamed and it showed, both Max and Vanessa's face had lost almost all of their color. Immediately, Max shut down  
“I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry” she pleaded from a pile on the center of the living room floor, “please don't do that, I just wanted to go back to Chloe”

“Wow,” Ryan breathed out in relief, both that he had gotten the windows shut in time and that Max hadn't meant what she had said. “Why in all that’s fucking holy would you say something like that?” he asked breathlessly  
“You would lie about us?” Vanessa whispered, distraught  
Max seemed to ponder the idea for a moment then shrugged non-committally. “I don't know, I just wanna go back to Chloe” she begged, “I don't know if I could do that, I don't know if I could lie like that”  
“Max,” the fact that her mom used her preferred name wasn't lost on her, “it'll get better, I promise”

Max soon found out that it didn't get better, in fact, it only got worse. More and more Max wished she had gone through with her threats, she was getting desperate. School was hell, home was boring and her life was in tatters, her parents loved her as much as always and yet she always felt as if something was missing something. Two months later, with blood running down her arms and tears flowing continuously from her eyes, she made up her mind.


	2. Good-fucking-bye

Max didn't really know what she was doing, all she knew was she couldn't live there anymore, she couldn't live in that house and as such she packed a small bag and stumbled out of a window one night. Her parents had gone to bed hours beforehand but, as she had done every night, Max sat on her bed, debating her options. Leave? Die? Run? Stay? She didn't know how or why she had ended up back in Seattle nor had she known how she was supposed to proceed. Her photo jump back to Seattle seemed more permanent than any of her previous ones, she had been in the past for nearly three months without flashing forward to her own time. _Perhaps the universe is waiting for my decision?_ She had thought but immediately rejected it, _the universe wouldn't care for what a puny little human wanted and it certainly wouldn't put everything on hold for that human no matter who she is, even if said human had the ability to control time_. Max had finally come to the conclusion that she couldn't stay in Seattle but she didn't know where she was going to go, back to Arcadia Bay? On to somewhere else? She knew, as she was a thirteen-year-old girl she would be playing with fate but that was somewhat tempered by the fact that she had been playing with fate a fair amount and she had lost all respect for it since she had almost been forced by fate to murder her best friend only to save a bunch of strangers. Her blood ran cold at the very thought of what had almost happened, how she had been about to sacrifice Chloe for people like Victoria and _Jefferson_ , she still pretty much hated both of them. _Arcadia Bay is a cancer on the country and it deserves to be purged_. Another shudder surged through her at that very thought, _what the fuck is wrong with me?_

So Max clambered out of her window with a small collection of her clothes and in her comfiest shoes, intending to go to the nearest park and sleep under the stars. In the morning she would begin her journey to _somewhere_. She had left her phone in her room and only taken cash in her wallet, for the time being she didn't want to be found. She knew she didn't have much, not even her camera made the shortlist of what she would be taking with her though she wished she had been able to take it with her.

Curled up with nothing more than a thin blanket around her she slept uncomfortably on a park bench until the first light disturbed her. "Ugh, fuck." Max looked over at the faint colours in the sky, "I miss the days which I could sleep through til late." It was a Monday morning so she checked her watch, sure enough the time was about seven in the morning and she knew her parents would soon be going into her room to wake her for school only to find the room empty and a bunch of her clothes missing. Soon enough Max realized she had to get out of Seattle, the sooner the better but she knew she had to get a new phone, she couldn't really be without one, it was either that or a tent. Eventually, the idea of sleeping in a warm tent won her over and she walked past the store that sold cell phones and straight on to the recently opened camping store. She forked out a good two-thirds of her available money to purchase a small two-person tent and used the majority of the rest to buy herself a sleeping bag and left the store in a huge hurry. She then almost headed to the bus station before remembering that there’d probably be an amber alert out with her name on it. “Fuck” she grumbled, shivering as she forced herself to push on and ignore her sore legs and arms. “I should've stocked up on bandages instead of grabbing that knife!” Max was mad at herself, all she had were the clothes she was wearing, her favorite hoodie, four spare shirts, two spare pairs of pants and some underwear as well as the small first aid kit she packed up for herself and her blade. Max wiped her tears away and hurried on, pushing herself to get out of town as soon as she could. She had been able to grab a grotty and ripe smelling hoodie out of a dumpster in the hope that her parents and the police wouldn't know to look out for it.

Six hours later she found herself on the edge of a road walking past a few houses here and there, it had been a long day and Max wasn't exactly in good physical shape. She had spent a bit of her time dodging police patrols but was unable to use her power since she didn't know if it had caused the storm in the original timeline. She had also taken the precaution of writing a note for the other Max in case she did jump forward though as she looked back at the city she had lived in for a mere few months she realized it was likely that she was there to stay and how much she loathed Seattle. "Good-fucking-bye, Seattle!! I hope I never have to see that fucking shitpit of a city again!" _I hope a storm does wipe it off the map!_ She thought vengefully, eventually choosing to get off her feet and she set up her tent without so much as a glance around her

“I'm safe, I'm free” she mumbled sleepily. For the first time in two months she fell asleep and stayed asleep, a combination of both her physical exhaustion and the lack of medication in her system


	3. Failure

Max had quickly learned that being homeless was far less pleasant them she had suspected. She had envisioned herself sleeping in her tent at night and covering maybe ten miles a day but, due to the winter weather, she wasn’t covering nearly that distance. The constant cold sapped her strength as did not eating. She had attempted to catch some animals such as squirrels but they skittered away before she could get to them and as she wasn't a very good shot, the few times she had attempted to stun them with a stone she had only succeeded in scaring them away. Some days Max didn't even leave the limited warmth of her tent, not even to try to find food and by her third Sunday away from home, she had found herself in a pit of despair. She knew she had been brash and stupid but it was too late. Even though she wasn't as far out of Seattle as she had hoped she would be, she didn't have a phone and she was in a wood not far from a small road. She hadn't seen a single person or vehicle in days as she felt herself get weaker and weaker, knowing that she was too far out and too far gone for rescue she was slowly coming to accept that she wouldn't make it

“Gotta keep going” Max mumbled, forcing herself to take another step. She was incredibly weak but somehow the willpower to continue had come to her and she forced herself to take it steady, to move forward step by step but it was arduous. Her only saving grace was that her self-inflicted cuts had healed up without an issue though they had left visible scars that were too big for the size of the cuts indicating that her lack of food and the constant coldness that sapped most of her strength had prevented them from healing perhaps as well as they would otherwise have done. She was simply too tired all the time else she would’ve had the desire to give in to her urge to hurt herself but as it was she was simply too tired to do anything, too tired to continue walking yet she continued to force herself to do so.

Eventually, on what would've been her thirty-fifth day had she been counting, she stumbled into a small town. A town not much bigger than a quarter the size of Arcadia Bay and only a hundred twenty miles from Seattle but still, it was a town. Immediately, she fell to her knees and keeled over to one side. Completely and utterly exhausted, her body could no longer sustain itself and had given up. Max's voice croaked from lack of use while she stared at the house closest to her and attempted to call for help, it was the only house she could see since she was too weak to even lift her head to turn it. Slowly, Max's vision faded to black. _I failed_.

*****

“What the hell?! Jeffrey! Jeffrey!!”  
“What?!”  
“Jeffrey come quick! Bring your cell phone!”  
“Holy shit! How long has... How long has she been there?”  
“I don't know... Hurry, get an ambulance!!”


	4. Chloe

Chloe had had another bad day, she had been given yet another good grilling by her stepfather, or step-douche as she called him for hanging around the Blackwell campus after hours, yet again. Her face was red from a stinging slap and there were tears in her eyes. _Dad never ever laid a finger on me!_ Chloe thought in misery, her life had been all but ruined by her father's death and her friend’s abandonment. It had been over twenty-six weeks since Max had left for Seattle and Chloe still cried herself to sleep every single night, secretly wondering if her ‘Partner in Crime’ was suffering as much as her. Chloe scoffed, _definitely not!! She's gonna be having an amazing time in Seattle having forgotten... Me._ Chloe missed her partner in crime so badly and she dealt with the pain of losing both her father and her best friend the best she could but she struggled badly with self-destructive behaviors such as drugs and self-harm. She had met up with the local drug dealer, Frank Bowers who had taken a liking to her before returning to Blackwell to get high behind the pool building. That was where she had been caught a few hours later by David Madsen, her stepfather-to-be who dragged her back to her truck, drove it back to their house and after yelling at Chloe for over an hour he took the truck back to Blackwell with him and kept the keys while he continued his shift. Even though Chloe had fortunately smoked her way through the marijuana and had shot up the cocaine she had purchased, Chloe was still in a lot of trouble and had been left alone in the house, unable to even visit Frank. 

Chloe was a complete loner and had been ever since Max disappeared off to Seattle, she had even burned a number of the photographs she had of herself and Max in a fit of rage the night before. Chloe was beginning to hate her former best friend, Max had acted strangely before Joyce got home and revealed that William had died, declaring that they would always be together as Max and Chloe but a few days after that declaration, Max had left and didn't get back in touch.

Chloe looked over out her window at the setting sun, she wasn't ever able to remember the name Max had said that sunset was called but she felt sick at the thought of her best friend. Once David had left to return to Blackwell to continue his duty as a security officer, Chloe had dozed off for a few hours on the couch before she moved upstairs and sat on her bed. Both times she had initially planned to have a shower but instead she dozed off then instead of going straight to the shower she moved to sit on her bed. Chloe gingerly slipped her pants off, wincing as she did so and sniffed, her left leg smelled bad. Under a large number of bandages and padding were a number of ripe smelling cuts, cuts which formed a name. Chloe didn't regret making the cuts, she was so low she no longer gave a damn about her health and hadn't even gone to a doctor about the cuts even though she knew they were infected. Despite her desire to cause as much damage as possible to her body she reluctantly began to take care of the cuts as one of her teacher's had commented on the smell. She did not want to be found out since it would mean she would be unable to continue hurting herself. _I need a shower, I can't stand my hair being this greasy_. Chloe groaned and stood, leaving her room and limping to the bathroom. She slid over the tub with a cry of pain and turned the temperature up.

Twenty minutes later, Chloe yelped as she removed herself from the tub. She dried off with her pirate towel and left the bathroom, hearing a gentle knock on her front door. She would have dismissed it had she not seen the shadow across the window by her door. “Shit!” Chloe hissed then limped quickly to her room, quickly applied a single layer of bandages to her leg and pulled on her clothes. Finally, she left her room and went downstairs hoping that whoever it was had gone.  
Tap. Tap. Tap.  
_No, they haven't fucked off, should I tell them to do so?_ “Coming, coming!” Chloe called in irritation. _Fuck off_  
“C... Chloe?” the voice was barely a whisper but Chloe heard it  
Chloe moved over to the door and, leaning heavily on the frame next to the door, opened it a crack. “Whoever...” Chloe stopped dead  
“Chloe!”  
Chloe had frozen at the sound of her voice, _Max?!_ “What the... Fuck?!”  
“Chloe!!” The unmistakable brunette had lifted her hand to knock on the door again with a hand that only had three full fingers and one half one  
“Max, what the fuck?” Chloe looked at her with a steely unwelcoming glare. “What the fuck are you doing here?! No calls, no texts not even a fucking letter since you...” Chloe caught sight of Max's other hand, it looked scarred and was still bandaged up. “Okay, the fuck happened to you?” _Shit, I don't want to sound like I care!!_  
“Chloe... My feet hurt... I need to... Need to rest” Max looked so tired, her eyes were bloodshot and had bags under them  
“Fuck, Max. What the fuck happened to you?”  
“I...” Chloe helped her into the living room and lowered her on to the couch. Max whimpered in pain and swung her legs on to the couch. “I left home” she finally provided  
“You left home?” realization dawned on Chloe and she immediately covered her mouth in shock, “you ran away?” Max nodded  
“I only made it about halfway... I collapsed. I hadn't been able to eat and the cold got to me... Hypothermia and frostbite...” Max was still so very tired, she had slept most of the coach ride from the town she found herself in to Arcadia Bay. “I left home... To come back”

The full implication of what Max had done hit home, Chloe was hating on the very person who had risked her life to be with her. She covered her mouth and bit back a sob with a whimper. “Max .. I'm so so sorry”  
“I never wanted to leave you, Chlo. I never wanted to go to fucking Seattle and I decided to fix my mistakes” Max pleaded _This time_.  
“Max... You lost five of your fingers...”  
“And seven toes”  
“And seven toes?!”  
“All for you, Chloe. I'll explain everything soon but for now, I’d like to reunite with my best friend.”

Chloe wrapped her arms around Max and sobbed for awhile, she gently held the other girl while Max held her. “Chloe...” Max began  
“Mmm?”  
“My pant leg is getting wet”  
“What?” Chloe looked at her in confusion, she moved back and saw the patch of ooze over her pant leg, right where her infected cuts were. _Oh shit..._  
“Chloe, what happened to your leg!?”


	5. Flashback

Chloe sighed and pulled her pant leg down since there was no point trying to hide it any longer, she usually applied at least five layers of bandaging to her leg but she had been forced to hurry. Immediately Max recoiled at the smell of her leg. “Chloe!!” Max exclaimed, tears streaming down her face, “what the fuck?!” She sighed then started to unravel Chloe's bandages carefully, wincing at the pained gasp from her best friend.  
“I'm sorry, Max” Chloe whispered in a tiny voice  
“Chloe... Talk to me”  
“My... My life fell apart, Max. After you left for Seattle my life fell apart completely.”  
“I'm... I'm sorry Chloe” Max had managed to undo all of Chloe's bandages and gasped at the sight of the wound, it clearly spelled 'MAX'. “Chloe!! How long have you been doing that to yourself?!”  
“Since... Since you left”  
“Oh, Chloe!! This looks infected, Chloe, we need to get it treated”  
“I'm sorry, Max. Also, I can't afford it”  
“I know, Chloe. I'm sorry too. Sorry I didn't call you, sorry I didn't text you, sorry I completely ignored you after I left” Max knew she was gushing yet she didn't really want to stop, deliberately ignoring Chloe's comment about the cost of the treatment  
“You couldn't even say goodbye properly” Chloe mumbled sadly  
“I'm sorry?” _As far as I'm aware I just upped and left without saying goodbye at all_  
“That tape message?” Chloe raised an eyebrow  
“What tape message?” Max asked  
“Your goodbye message?”  
“Oh, of course!” Max feigned understanding. _I never left you a goodbye tape message... Maybe it was another Max?_  
“Maxipad...” Chloe scolded  
“Yes, Chloe?”  
“Don't lie to me” Chloe stared intently at Max and Max wriggled uncomfortably  
_She can always tell when I am lying..._ “Sorry... I don't remember that.” Max's eyes glazed over and her face became anguished as she was forced by her mind to watch Chloe being killed over and over. A bullet to the stomach. Splattered by a train. A bullet to the chest. Death by morphine overdose. A bullet to the head. _Bullet. Train. Bullet. Morphine. Bulletbullettrainbulletmorphinebullet. Bulletbullettrainbulletmorphinebullet_. Max let out a shriek of agony and held her head, squeezing with all her might to try to force out the second by second snapshots that were firmly burned into her mind, memories as clear as photographs. Chloe's fearful face when Nathan pinned her against the wall with his gun. Her desperation in trying to knock the gun away from her. Her shock at the pain of the bullet tearing through her stomach and the resulting deep red seeping from the hole to stain her white tank top. Chloe's unmoving body on the dirty bathroom floor

Max screamed again, Chloe's desperate shaking of her former best friend failed to make an impact on Max who had curled up, pressing the sides of her head harder and harder. Her eyes were clamped tightly shut though tears still leaked through her eyelids. Max continued to experience the snapshot flashbacks which continued on as if they were photographs taken every few seconds. She witnessed Chloe's confusion when she was unable to get her foot out of the train tracks which she had become trapped in. Her confusion that gave way to fear as she heard the train approaching in the distance. Her increasing desperation as the train grew closer and closer. Her horror at the imminence of her death, the train only a few feet from her.  
“Max...! Max...!!!” Chloe's voice was so so far away  
_Make it stop, fuck! God make it fucking stop!!!_ Even if Max been able to respond mentally she wouldn't have been able to reply physically, she was gasping for breath. The snapshots flashing before her eyes changed for a third time. Chloe's excited face at being able to shoot random shit. Her surprise at the bullet rebounding and hitting her in the chest. The snapshots changed yet again, Max didn't even get the chance to wish that the snapshots would stop before the next sequence began. A broken Chloe in a wheelchair. Her pure joy at Max visiting. Her happiness yet sadness at being able to spend time with Max. The desperation of a broken girl who was completely at the mercy of others as she asked Max to end her life through a morphine overdose. Her hauntingly peaceful expression as she started to fade. Her head rolling over limply to one side with her eyes closed, Chloe was dead, yet again. That time Max hadn't wanted to rewind in other to spend a few more moments with her fading best friend  
“MAX!!!” Chloe was screaming at her yet it made very little difference to the brunette

The sequence of snapshots changed again, she saw Chloe scream in rage and pain once Rachel's body had been discovered, thrown carelessly in a garbage bag which had then been thrown into a shallow grave. Chloe's continuing screams of agony as she shrieked the words that would never ever leave Max. “Rachel... Oh, Rachel, no, no! Please, not her!” Max's reply was lost in the depths of the blunette's agony, nothing more than a whisper that Max couldn't catch. “Rachel... why? I loved her so much... How can she be dead? What kind of world does this? Who does this?” Finally, the scene faded. Max, thinking she was finally free of the devastating sequences of snapshots breathed a sigh of relief at the blackness surrounding her. Seconds later Max blinked to find herself looking at Chloe again, they were back at the junkyard but... Chloe's body was falling backward gracefully towards Rachel's grave her eyes absent and dull, the usual spark of mischief having flickered out for the last time. Max felt herself throw out her hand to rewind yet it just wouldn’t come. She caught sight of where she was supposed to be led after Jefferson drugged her but she didn't see herself. She was the only Max there and despite her efforts to rewind, she remained unable to do so. 

“The bitch has finally gotten her deepest desire, she wanted to be dead all this time and finally she has gotten her wish... Perhaps your inability to rewind is because she _didn’t want you to_ ”  
Max screamed so loudly she felt agony within her throat and her lungs, eventually everything faded to black and the ringing in Max's ears stopped


	6. Mysteries

“Max!!” Chloe exclaimed as her best friend slipped off of the couch with a thud, a horrific sounding shriek of pure emotional torture coming from somewhere deep in her mind and the only outward sign of her being conscious. _Holy shitballs!!_  
“Chloe what the hell is...” David’s loud and angry voice echoed through the formerly quiet house, he had just returned from wherever he went during the day. “What the hell?! You know the rules, no strangers in the house, girlie!”  
“Screw you too, David!!” Chloe shot back, incensed while the horrific screech continued to come from Max  
“What’s wrong with her?” David’s voice was no longer angry but maintained its gruffness  
“Fuck if I know” _Now Chloe, tell him..._  
“Who is she, Chloe?”  
“My friend”  
“What's your name, Missy?”  
“Fuck dude, give her a fucking break, in case you hadn’t realized she's not really with it!!” To Chloe's surprise, David nodded.  
“Fine, Chloe, but you have a lot of explaining to do” David had of course seen the brunette's bandaged injuries and noticed how even the girl’s shriek had died out. On account of those things he decided to drop it  
“Like I have any answers to give either” Chloe snapped  
“Now you listen to me, girlie!” David bristled  
“Can you just shut the fuck up for once and help me get her upstairs!!” Chloe almost screamed at David, the terror of watching her former best friend collapse for no apparent reason easily apparent. David nodded, picked Max up and started towards the stairs while Chloe picked up an envelope that had fallen to the ground in front of the couch. Shoving the envelope unceremoniously in her pocket, Chloe grabbed a glass of water and sprinted off after David and Max. “Just lay her on my bed!!” Chloe yelled as she thundered up the stairs

“Chloe?! Chloe!!” Max writhed in David’s arms the second her eyes opened and he almost dropped her in surprise but managed to get her to the bed before he lost his grip on her.  
“I'm here!!” Chloe called out to her and ran to her ex-best friend’s side, squeezing her hand and smiling through tears.  
“My letter!! Where is it?!” Max had reached behind her to try and get her letter but wasn’t able to find it. _Fuck!!_  
“You mean this?” Chloe held out the letter  
“Thank fuck for that!”  
“Language, Missy!”  
Max ignored David, “Chloe, that's for you... It'll explain a few things”  
“Can you leave us alone, douche, just for awhile?”  
David grumbled but then nodded and left. “Max, what the fuck is going on?”  
“I don't have _time_ ” Max chuckled to herself, “sorry, private joke.” Suddenly, she became all serious. “Chloe, I don't know what's going to happen next, I've just given you and this Max another chance... Please... Don't waste it”  
“Maxi...?”  
“See ya soon” Max's eyes closed and she fell limp on the bed once again

Chloe furrowed her brows and nudged Chloe then shook her. “Maxi?” Max didn't respond though, she was unconscious once again. Chloe's damp eyes fell on the unopened envelope. She slit it open in order to pull out a piece of parchment and another envelope. Much to Chloe's shock, the second envelope was addressed to Max. _Let's see what we’ve got here..._

*****

_Dearest Chloe (and Max!)..._

_I'm writing to explain what happened the past few months seeing as I most likely won't have time to explain myself._

_Six months ago I made the decision for Max and ran away from home. As it turns out that was a seriously stupid and reckless decision to make at that particular time. Unfortunately, I will not have the chance to fix it, not anymore. I ran away from my home in Seattle to come and return to you but I underestimated the journey. I spent most of my time freezing cold and starving hungry since I simply couldn't catch anything to eat and it was far colder than I had predicted. I didn't make it halfway to Arcadia before I collapsed with exhaustion two months ago, I ended up in a hospital in some small town with hypothermia and frostbite, losing my fingers and toes. I regret what happened as a result of my stupidity and carelessness but I do not regret trying to get Max back to you against the wishes of her parents._

_I have included another letter for Max as I do not know what's gonna happen next, just... Don't be too hard on her Chloe, please. She hated Seattle and wanted nothing more than to return to your side but was too scared you'd hate her to reach out._

_See you (or not? I don't think I ever will again since I've basically erased myself but Max will see you again when she wakes)_

_Maxi Caulfield_

_P.s. Max will be very disoriented at first, please calm her down then give her the letter I wrote for her, it'll explain what happened_


	7. Together again

“Hey, Maxi”  
“Chloe!!” Max's head whipped around, “Chloe, what the hell? What am I doing here?” Max had opened her eyes to discover she was led on Chloe's bed in the familiar and comforting room from her childhood, tucked up under the myriad of blankets Chloe had on her bed. “How the hell did I get here?”  
“It’s quite a long story, Maxipad” Chloe smiled gently at her  
“And... Ow, my hands and feet hurt, Chlo” Max winced at her, pulling her hand out from under the covers. Her face whitened the second she saw the bandages and her missing fingers. _What the fuck?_  
“I know”  
Max looked up into the big blue eyes of her friend, blue eyes that shimmered with excitement and Max couldn't help but relax, she was with Chloe again after all. “Chloe, you didn't... Kidnap me, did you?”  
“Oh dog no, the truth is, Maxi, you kidnapped yourself if any part of the letter you gave me was the truth”  
“Huh?” Max looked incredibly confused  
“I know how it sounds but that's what you said happened” Chloe admitted, looking as confused as Max did  
“I said that?”  
“Mhm,” Chloe handed Max the letter that future Max had left for her which Max skimmed through quickly, “Chloe, what the fuck?” She read the letter again. _It’s definitely my handwriting and Chloe never was very good at forgery, except her mom’s signature of course but she's been practicing that every day for the past five years or more_.  
“I don't know. You turned up on my doorstep saying you had given 'this Max’ another chance to be happy. Apparently, you hated Seattle enough to run away.” Chloe explained, “Max left you another letter I guess she wrote it in the hospital? I got it right here.” She pulled it out from behind her pirate flag.  
Max smiled a forced smile, she hoped that the letter would explain everything. On the envelope was a brief message; 'For the Eyes of Cap’n Bluebeard and First Mate Long Max Silver **Only**!!'

*****

_Dearest Max,_

_Hey! Hello! It's you (from four years in the future!). Chloe, what have we discussed about reading people's private stuff. At least wait for Max to wake before you read this shit, I'm cereal_

_I know you're probably pretty confused and disoriented at the moment but please bear with me, I'll explain what I can. Six months ago from your perspective, I made the decision to do a photo jump and change history. I took control of your body and left Seattle three months ago which was a stupid, stupid thing to do. It was winter and I underestimated the journey. The pack you have in the hospital or at Chloe’s is all you own (and yes, I did pack your digital camera, you nerd). I collapsed a month into the journey from exhaustion, cold and malnutrition and nearly died from hypothermia. I have spent over two months recovering in the hospital under a fake name since there was an amber alert out for me but as soon as I can I will leave the hospital and hitchhike the last of the distance to Arcadia Bay._

_Max, I know how much we hated Seattle, you want nothing more than to go back to Chloe and I made the decision to let that dream come true. You will be weak and will need a lot of food and blankets but please don't waste this chance, be with your partner in crime and time. I apologize for the vagueness, I'm not sure when I'll snap back to where I should be, though I have already been here for two months so maybe I'll manage to see this through to the end. Unfortunately, that's not the last bit of bad news I have for you, you lost some fingers and toes through my stupidity and I apologize for that too. I must also ask you to be wary of that photographer, Mark Jefferson, he's a sick fuck. Tell Chloe and Rachel when you meet her to avoid him and Nathan Prescott._

_Some dates to come:_  
_12/05/2008: Ciao (will win the Jury Prize / Best Feature Film at the Philadelphia International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival & make $2,672 on the opening weekend)_  
_04/03/2009: Fast and Furious 4 (will make $70,950,500 on the opening weekend)_  
_05/22/2009: Night at the Museum (make sure you both see this!)_  
_05/10/2010: Spanish Sahara by Foals_

_And some very important dates that'll make a difference to you and Chloe:_  
_05/06/2010: Chloe Price will meet Rachel Amber at a Firewalk gig_  
_03/28/2013: Rachel Amber must not attend a Vortex Club party_  
_09/30/2013: Chloe must not be near Nathan Prescott_  
_10/04/2013: Kate Marsh must not attend a Vortex Club party_  
_10/07/2013-10/11/2013: weird shit happens_

_Now, on to how I know all this. Max, I'm a time traveler. I'm from 2013 and I watched your best friend die (totally forreal). I know how unlikely that sounds but when you read that list above, I'm sure you'll realize I'm telling the truth. I have to go now, the nurse wants to check my fingers and toes_  
_Much love_

_(Future) Max, the Time Warrior!_

_P.s. Please keep a detailed journal of everything that happens_

*****

“What... The fuck?”  
“Wow... Whoever that was that was you when you arrived, they were insane”  
“I don't remember any of the last six months, the last thing I remember was getting up in Seattle one morning” Max sighed  
“Well, that Ciao movie's opening weekend will be coming soon so let's humor whoever it was that brought you here and wait and see” Chloe suggested  
“Mhm”  
“In the meantime...” Chloe looked toward her bedroom door in anticipation  
“Wakey wakey eggs and bakey!!!”


	8. Revelation

“Good morning, mom”  
“Good morning, Chloe. You're certainly looking happier today than you have in months, despite you being up really early”  
“Mhm. Mom, you think you could do me a few extra eggs and more bacon than normal?”  
Joyce sighed affectionately. “Your appetite, Chloe. Honestly, I have no idea how the hell we’re not bankrupt!”  
“Yeah, yeah, whatever” Chloe rolled her eyes and took a plate which had been loaded up with a few extra slices of bacon and an extra egg and retreated upstairs, flopped down on her bed while pushing the plate of food on Max. “Eat, Maxi” she whispered  
“B-but what about you?” Max raised a concerned eyebrow at her best friend whose appetite she knew would remain as legendary as ever  
“I don't need it as much as you, Maxi”  
“I can't take your food” Max protested  
“You’re not taking it, I'm giving it to you. How long did you go without food again?”  
“Over a month.” Max closed her eyes, sighing, “Fine, Chloe” Max picked up the knife and fork to start eating

Five minutes later and all the food Chloe had given to Max was gone. “Jeeeezus, Max”  
“Sorry” Max burped, “living on the streets makes you eat quickly, unsure when you'll get your next full meal or even if it'll be stolen from you. I was lucky, I had some money to get a tent and I made it out of Seattle on my first day though my hunting skills or rather lack of did almost get me killed”  
“Lucky?” Chloe raised an eyebrow, her eyes darting to Max's toeless foot  
“Okay, okay. You know what I meant”  
“You’re a fucking dork, Max Caulfield”  
“About that... I intend to change my name”  
“Uh...?”  
“Create a fake identity for myself” Max clarified, “fake ID, birth certificate, the whole nine yards”  
“But that's like really illegal, Maxi”  
“I know but I don't wanna go home and... You're not gonna believe this but something strange happened last night”  
“Strange how?” Chloe had to admit, her interest was piqued. _What now?!_  
“I was walking downstairs as quietly as I could with that glass you gave to me with my warm milk in it, I was going to clean it and make sure it wasn't missing, yanno?” Chloe couldn't help her exasperated and long-suffering sigh, she had told Max time and time again the night before not to go downstairs until they had figured out what to tell Joyce so Max wouldn't have to go back to Seattle. “Anyway, I got halfway down the stairs and dropped the glass.” Chloe’s intake of breath was sharper than she'd ever admit it to being. “The glass shattered and Chloe, your mom came out of the kitchen and saw me. Shrieked in surprise too”  
Chloe couldn't hold it in anymore, she guffawed in amusement. “You... You almost had me that time, Max!!”  
“I'm being cereal here!!” Max replied in irritation  
“But mom would definitely comment if Maxine _fucking_ Caulfield turned up unexpectedly in her house”  
“Oh, I know. The quickest way to secure a car ride back to Seattle is to be caught by your mom, stepfather to be or the cops... I panicked, I extended my hand and whoosh, everything around me started going backward!!”  
“You’re not fucking with me are you, Maxi?”  
“Nope. I managed to sneak downstairs without dropping the glass once it returned to my hand. That got me thinking though... Remember what Max from the letter said?”  
“Time powers?” Chloe's eyes were as round as saucers. _No fucking way_  
“ _Time powers_ ” Max confirmed  
“Oh, this is fucking awesome!!”  
“I know...”  
“We're gonna have to play today!!”  
“I know, I tested it a bit more last night and... Sorry about that by the way” she indicated the pillow they had shared, there were a few drops of blood on the pillow  
“Holy shit!! You bled last night?!”  
“Che, your voice”  
“Sorry” Chloe forcibly whispered quieter than she had to  
“I'm going to hit the ATMs in town and then rewind” Max smirked conspiratorially  
“Holy fuck, you think that'll work?!” Max simply reached into her pocket and pulled out a bundle of notes. “I borrowed your mom’s card last night at about six in the morning. Made about two grand out of one ATM”  
“You mean...” Chloe stopped speaking and simply gaped at Max  
“... We have unlimited cash? Fuck yeah.” Max laughed with excitement. “Now the thousand dollars in my account can be stretched... All without alerting my parents to me being here!!”  
Chloe almost whooped in excitement but a nudge from Max stifled it. “Sorry. But, how did you know?”  
“Time powers, Chlobear”  
“But we’re fucking _rich_ , Max!!”


	9. ATM heist

“Holy fuck, do it again!!” Chloe exclaimed loudly. Max had just hit the ATM near the park in Arcadia Bay and was resting on a bench with Chloe in the otherwise abandoned park. “You got this, you're Maxine fucking Caulfield, the motherfucking Time Warrior!”.  
“Shhh, Chlo. We are in the middle of a spree of ATM heists after all...” Max whispered, her eyes glinting with suppressed amusement as she looked down at the briefcase Max had taken from under William’s side of the bed earlier that morning. Max had gone up to the ATM and inserted her card to withdraw the money from her account, a thousand dollars. She took the money, returned to Chloe on the bench, slipping the money into the briefcase. She then took the briefcase from Chloe and rewound before repeating the action on the same ATM. She managed five rewinds in a row before she had to rest  
“Fuck... I might actually be able to buy a truck” Chloe pondered all the possibilities that their briefcase crammed full of money would open up for them. “For a hick town in the middle of nowhere, they do kinda have a fair amount of cash in that ATM.”  
“Mhm. Think it's time to go home, Chloe. We should leave some money in the other ATM after all. Other people might need it after all” Max had her arms tightly around the briefcase, trying to protect it from anyone who meant to do them harm  
“I guess...” Chloe sighed and took the briefcase and stood, indicating that they should get moving. “We have enough money for now, why don't we just blow this joint and go?”  
“What... What about your family, Chloe?”  
“Eh”  
“Chloe, come on let's get home, we gotta get home, school for you remember?” Max pulled on her arm and dragged Chloe toward her place  
“And you?” Chloe looked over at her, a gentle smile on her face  
“In Seattle” Max replied dismissively  
“Oh. Well, I'll set you up with somewhere to hide, Max” Chloe rushed to the front of her house, dragging Max as she did so. Chloe kneeled down in front of the house and helped Max up to the roof in front of her window  
“Already got somewhere, our little secret. Remember?” Max replied in a quiet voice, helping Chloe as much as she could by pulling her up on to the roof with all her might  
“The treehouse?” Chloe rolled her eyes, she _really_ didn’t want Max to live in that treehouse. “We gotta find you somewhere to live?”  
“Yep.” Max didn't really want to live in those conditions but she didn't really have much choice with where she stayed. She left all choices behind her in Seattle. Her bandaged hands and feet tingled as she stood waiting for Chloe to open the window  
“I don't want you out there all alone” Chloe mumbled.  
“You gotta get to Blackwell, Chlo” Max pushed on Chloe gently  
“Ugh. Fine!!” Chloe exclaimed, throwing her arms in the air as she used to.  
“I promise I'll try to apply to Blackwell” Max attempted to compromise  
“You can't, Max” Chloe replied sternly  
“I can. I'll try. I won't go back even if they drag me kicking and...” Chloe was dragging Max up on to her feet and heading to the landing as they spoke in hushed whispers.  
Ring. Ring. “One moment, Max” Chloe pushed Max back into her room, left her room and started down the stairs  
“Price household, Joyce Price speakin'.” Chloe's mother, Joyce had been in the kitchen and therefore managed to get to the phone first. Chloe crept back upstairs and sat down at the top of the stairs. “Ah, Vanessa. Was wonderin' when we’d hear from ya!” Joyce had lowered her voice to a whisper. “No, Chloe doesn't know yet, I haven't told her. Still no sign of her anywhere? No, we haven't seen her yet. I would’ve thought she woulda been here's by now, Vanessa, we gotta accept that maybe she never made it.” From where Chloe was, she could see Joyce wiping her eyes. “Yes, she was my daughter too, Vanessa. You are correct. I'm just so sorry, had I known what would happen I woulda offered to let Max stay with us”  
Chloe slumped down by the railing Max had broken and started to cry. _My mom knew Max ran away and never even told me!_ Chloe was heartbroken by the betrayal. “I'll have to confront her”


	10. Stephanie Gingrich

Chloe had returned to her room with a slouch and what would've been an incredibly forceful slam had she not thought better of it and caught it at the last moment. She no longer even wanted to look at her mother, not after she had concealed that her best friend had gone missing for six months and nobody had thought to tell her. “Chloe?” Max looked over at her in concern since Chloe had been in such a positive mood when she woke that morning that for it to have soured that much, something must've happened  
“Come on we gotta get you to the treehouse” Chloe grunted miserably  
“What changed, Chlo?” Max asked in a cautious voice  
“When we get outside, Max”  
“Chloe!!! School!!” Joyce's jubilant voice rung out, the owner not having realized that Chloe had been eavesdropping on her conversation with Vanessa, Max's mother  
_Oh, fuck off_. “Go to work! I'll get myself to school!!” Chloe bellowed back  
“Fine, see you later, Chloe!!” the front door slammed, Joyce having gone off to work

“Chloe...?” Chloe had pulled Max downstairs, made her some more breakfast and sat her down at the table. Sitting on the carpet and slowly pulling Max's socks off while Max was eating, Chloe inspected Max's bandages on her feet, slowly undoing them to bathe her feet in warm saline one at a time and rewrap her feet in fresh bandages  
“My mom _knew_ , Max” Chloe began, fighting to suppress her tears  
“Huh?”  
“My mom knew you'd gone missing and she didn't even tell me you’d gone missing!!”  
“Oh I'm so sorry, Chloe”  
“Not your fault. That bitch didn't know if you were alive or dead yet she never told me a fucking thing!!”  
“Chlo...” Max wiped her eyes on her bandages, hearing the pain and sorrow in her best friend’s voice  
“I'm going to make this work, okay Max?”  
“Make it work?”  
“I'm going to make it so you never have to go back to Seattle again, not unless you want to”  
“I don't” Max replied with conviction  
“Okay, well Max first I'll get you to the treehouse then I'll go to school”  
“I want you to go to school, Chloe”  
“I'm not leaving you.” Chloe had, by that time, finished cleaning up and rebandaging both of Max's feet and Max had also finished her second breakfast. “We have money. I guess I could see if any of my classmates have an extra room?”  
“Chloe...”  
“No, Max. There's no way I'm letting you stay out in that treehouse. I know it's getting warmer now but... What about next winter?”  
“We can cross that bridge when we come to it”  
“What about bears or wolves, or other humans? Max, you can't possibly stay in that treehouse, it won't be safe!”  
“F-fine!!” a sharp intake of breath told Chloe that Max's hand was a fair bit sorer than her feet. Max had at least been able to wear multiple layers of socks while in her tent. Her hands however had been exposed to the cold most nights while she slept and therefore the frostbite had actually gotten further. Had Max not collapsed when she had and therefore ended up in hospital, she could have lost her whole hands instead of just her fingers

Chloe quickly finished bathing and wrapping Max's hand while she used the other one to finish eating “Come on you, let's get you to the treehouse and once I get outta school this afternoon I'll collect you and we can go to the thrift store where we can buy you a new outfit. Sadly, I don't think they have a hipster department but...”  
“Since I've gotta change my identity before I can go to school we might as well work on my clothes choices too”  
“Yeah” _Wow-ser that was easier than I thought it would be. Really? I just actually said wowser? I can't fucking believe myself right now_. Chloe helped Max pull some socks back on and pulled her out the door. They had a few miles to cover in order to reach the treehouse

Over two hours later Chloe helped Max up the ladder into the treehouse, her toeless feet making it slightly more difficult to clamber into the treehouse, she then put down several bags she had carried. One bag contained Max's sleeping bag and another contained some clothes Max could put on if she got cold. Chloe left Max to get settled into her new home while she went to school. If she hurried she knew she'd be there in time for lunch. “Shit...” Chloe had grabbed some of the cash Max had acquired earlier that morning on her way out with Max and soon arrived at Blackwell, too soon for her taste

“Yes, Ms. Grant” Chloe looked up at the dark-skinned chemistry teacher with disinterest. It was the last class of the day and Chloe had been antsy to get out of class as soon as possible ever since she had arrived. She had barely eaten during lunch and she hadn't even risen to any of Victoria Chase's taunts  
“Are you okay, Chloe? You usually love chemistry” The kind-hearted dark skinned woman asked with a concerned tone  
“I'm fine...” Chloe's eyes fell on Steph, someone who had always kept her distance but hadn’t been overtly unpleasant to Chloe. Steph blushed having noticed Chloe's eyes on her. ‘Can we talk?' Chloe mouthed to her  
‘Sure. After class’ Steph turned away and went back to ogling the prettiest girl in the school, Rachel Amber. Little Ms. Perfect  
_Hmph. She's so fucking perfect_ Chloe grumbled about Rachel. _She's not as perfect as my Maxi though_

The last twenty minutes of class crawled by but eventually the bell indicated the end of class. Chloe packed up her things and went out of the classroom to wait for Steph as they had agreed. Chloe felt incredibly nervous, she knew that the discussion they were about to have would mean the difference between Max staying in a dilapidated treehouse or an actual house with a real bed. “Hey, Chloe”  
“Steph...” Chloe began with a concerned tone in her voice, one that the brunette hadn't ever heard Chloe use.  
_Is she... Nervous?_ “Yes, Chloe?”  
“I... Need your help”  
“How? Chloe, you're worrying me”  
“Come, it's probably easier for me to show you”  
“Uh...” Steph felt her arm being pulled as she was dragged past the fountain with Jeremiah Blackwell’s statue and off campus. 

“Chloe, where the hell are you taking me?!” Steph had gotten increasingly concerned as she was dragged further into the woods on the opposite side of town. They had passed an old barn and were heading towards somewhere Chloe knew well. It had been quicker for them to cut across town rather than make their way through the woods around town, it also gave Chloe the chance to make sure they weren't being followed  
“It’s better that you see” Chloe replied and tugged on her arm once again.  
“We’ve been walking through this wood for half an hour now”  
“Yeah, sorry about that... But Steph, please hush now. Don't wanna scare her”  
“Scare who?” Despite herself Steph lowered her voice as she was pulled into a clearing where a treehouse took center stage in the biggest tree for miles around. Chloe quickly ascended the ladder and gestured for Steph to follow. By the time Steph had gotten to the top of the ladder, Chloe had her arms tightly around her shaking best friend. “Chloe...?” Steph asked curiously, her eyes being drawn toward Max's bandaged hands  
“Steph, meet my best friend, Max. Max meet Steph, a friend from school” Chloe wasted no time doing the introductions  
“Chlo... Why... Why did you bring her here?” Max whispered timidly  
Something about Max's anxiety tugged on Steph’s heartstrings and she knelt in front of the timid hipster who pulled away. “Whoa, Max. Steady, I'm not gonna hurt you...”  
“See, Steph is a friend” Chloe smiled encouragingly at Max  
“But seriously, Chloe why are you hiding your best friend in a treehouse?” Steph turned to face Chloe with a stern look. “Also, what happened to her hands?!”  
“It's what I need your help with, Steph. It's a long story but... I don't know who else to turn to. I'm not very popular at Blackwell and I don't really trust anyone there, I can't trust anyone there. Max lost her fingers to frostbite, she's here cos she has nowhere else to go... After she ran away from home”  
Steph felt stunned for several seconds as if Chloe had taken a huge skillet and smacked her in the face with it. Finding her words Steph eventually whispered “Okay, Chloe... Spill”


	11. A new home

“So what you're saying is Max ran away from home to come back to Arcadia Bay?” Steph spoke to Chloe while Max clung to her side. Max had been pretty broken by the hours she had spent separated from Chloe  
“Yes. She came back because...” Chloe paused in the middle of her sentence, looking to Max for the answer since she didn't have one to give  
“Because I couldn't be apart from you another moment, Chloe” Max finished the sentence without hesitation  
“Ah” Steph nodded in understanding  
“Because uh _you know who_... She taught me never to take things for granted”  
“You know who?”  
“Yeah... Zara, my distant cousin” Max answered Steph with a lie, she couldn't dare mention the future Max  
_As good cover as any I guess_ Chloe shrugged internally  
“She taught me to fight for what I love... And I love Chloe”  
“Wut?” Chloe mumbled, in complete shock  
“I love you, Chloe. I think I always have”  
“Ah, well Maxi, I... I love you too”  
“How can I help?” Steph interjected  
“Max needs somewhere to stay” Chloe provided on Max's behalf  
“Oh”  
“Yeah” Chloe turned to look Steph in the eye, an honest and pleading expression on her face. _Please, Steph. Please help her_  
“Okay, Chloe. I'll take her in” Steph nodded. Chloe literally beamed at Steph and wrapped her arms tightly around the other girl  
“Thank you, thank you, thank you”  
“You're welcome, Chloe.” She looked over Max's shoulder and saw her only backpack as well as the briefcase. “Is that all you have, Max?”  
Max nodded, “I had to carry everything I took with me. The briefcase is extra”  
“Jesus, you really were homeless, Max?”  
“Yeah...”  
Steph sighed, placing a calming hand on Max's shoulder. “Come on, Max. Let's get you to my house.”  
“O-okay, but... I don't think I can walk anymore without help”  
_Max had changed... She used to be so stubborn_. “It’s okay, Max. I will help you” Chloe wrapped Max's arm around her shoulder and reached out for Max's backpack and the briefcase.  
“Don't, Chloe. I'll take those”  
“Thanks, Steph” Chloe smiled at her as Steph led the way toward her house

“Ow ow ow” Every time Max took a step she yelped, her still healing stumps causing her pain  
“Max, we’re almost there” Chloe reassured  
“We're here” Steph pointed at her house and smiled. “Let's get you in, Max, then we can talk”  
“Talk? About what?”  
“The future. I'd imagine you have some idea for the future?”  
“Yeah...” Chloe helped Max over the threshold once Steph had unlocked the door and led them into the living room where Chloe sat Max down on a couch and flopped down next to her, exhausted from helping Max to the house  
“What do you have planned?” Steph inquired gently  
“Well, first and foremost, I do not want to go back to Seattle. Not now, not _ever_ ” Max spoke with more conviction than Chloe has ever heard the shy brunette had ever used before  
“You don't?”  
“Nope. My parents dragged me away kicking and screaming, literally. Away from Arcadia Bay, away from Chloe” Max wiped a tear away  
“Oh Max”  
“I'm okay... Chlo, I'm okay”  
“The spare bedroom is just up ahead” Steph opened the door for Max and Chloe. “Make yourself at home, Max” Chloe helped her to the bed and guided her to sit down on it, removing her gloves, shoes, and socks

“Max? Chloe?”  
“Yes, Steph?” Chloe replied for Max  
“I've done you both some food and I wanted to discuss the next steps for you”  
“The next steps, I have to take those alone. But after I do, I will be applying to Blackwell Academy, then I can get out of your spare room, save a few lives and graduate. Go to college. My parents will never find me”  
“You're just trying to live your life”  
“Who isn't, Steph?”


	12. Schism

“Easy, Max. It's just me, Steph” Steph had knocked on the door to the guest bedroom and entered slowly, cautiously. Chloe had headed home once Max had had some food and a shower, leaving Max alone with Steph albeit reluctantly. “I just put your laundry on and I've gotten some more food here for you” she held up a stack of toast. “As well as a cup of tea and various jellies and spreads”  
“Thank you” Max replied in a tired voice, no longer backing away from Steph as she had at first  
“You’re welcome, Max. Wow, Chloe's the happiest I've seen her in the longest time. She barely smiled the past six months” Steph put the tray down next to Max and sat on the corner of Max's bed, watching the hipster with a smile.  
“I'm glad she's happy” Max whispered, nervously wringing her hands and wincing at the pain from her stumps  
“Easy, Max. I'm not gonna hurt you.” The auburn-haired geek attempted to reassure the brunette hipster, “I just wanted to talk about what you want to do next”  
“Do next?” Max tilted her head slightly and gazed questioningly at the auburn-haired girl  
“Like you mentioned not wanting to go back to Seattle, I guess that's why you're here with me instead of staying at Chloe's”  
“Yeah, Joyce would recognize me in a heartbeat” Max whispered, an expression of hurt crossing her face. She knew Chloe's mother wouldn't hesitate to send her back to Seattle. _I know she wouldn't hurt me deliberately though_  
“Joyce? Oh, Chloe's mom” Steph nodded in understanding. “I think Chloe needed you more than she'd admit. I wasn’t really her friend but Chloe was a lone wolf, sure she stayed out of the Vortex cliche but she didn't really interact with anyone else either”  
“She's mourning, Steph”  
“I get that... Maybe with you around, she'll be okay”  
“I hope she's okay, this time”  
“This time, Max what do you mean?” Steph replied. Max closed her eyes and exhaled slowly, she hadn't realized her mistake until Steph commented on it  
“Shit, I'm sorry Steph” Max raised her hand and time flowed backward around her, stripping Steph of her confused expression  
“... Around she'll be okay”  
“I hope so too, Steph” _Phew, thank fuck for the rewind_

A few hours later there was a knock on Steph's front door. Max leaped out of bed and hid under it quickly while Steph went to see who it was. Muffled voices reached Max's ears then Steph called out quietly. “Max, Max it’s just Chloe”  
“Chloe!?” The brunette rolled out from under the bed, jumped to her feet and barreled out of the room, taking Chloe completely by surprise. “I missed you!!”  
“I can see that Maxi” Max blushed and chuckled at one of the many nicknames the taller blonde had invented for the petite brunette.  
“Now that you're both here, let's discuss the future, huh?” Steph smiled between the two girls  
_Something I'm very familiar with_. “Sure, Steph”  
“That's right, what's the plan Maxi?”  
“Well, first of all, I gotta get some papers for myself, I had my passport and everything in my bag but I've hidden those well, I won't be using those again til I go to college”  
“Whoa, hold up there. Are you talking about falsifying papers?” Steph no longer looked relaxed, she looked kinda tense  
“Yup.” Max had decided not to beat around the bush and tell Steph the truth from the get go  
Steph looked at Chloe, no small amount of panic on her face. “I'm not sure about this, Chloe. Taking her in is one thing, helping her get a fake passport and so on is something else entirely”  
“Stephanie Gingrich!!” Chloe exclaimed angrily. “You would turn away _my_ Max Caulfield?!”  
“Uh... Chlo? Steph... Doesn’t have to...”  
“You’re right, Max.” Chloe snapped, she was more enraged than Max had ever seen her before. “ _She_ ” Chloe gesticulated wildly at Steph, “doesn't have to help us at all, let's go. I obviously put my faith in the wrong people” Chloe gripped Max's hand and started leading her out of the house.

“W-wait!!” Steph exclaimed seconds before the front door to her house slammed shut.  
“Fuck you too, Gingrich” Chloe bellowed back. “I'm sorry, Maxi, looks like you're going to have to stay in the treehouse for now”  
_Damnit Gingrich, you're such an idiot_. The auburn-haired girl crumpled on to the couch and sighed. _Chloe has always been a good friend despite being in mourning and now it is all quite possibly ruined_


	13. I'm sorry...

Chloe sighed, she had helped a struggling, sore Max back up into the treehouse and they were leaned up against the trunk of the tree, it had taken them a good hour to get back to the treehouse. “I'm sorry, Chloe” Max whispered, reaching out slowly, cautiously to touch Chloe's knee  
“Sorry? Why are you sorry, Maxi?” Chloe twisted her body to look at Max, confusion easily apparent in her face  
“I'm sorry I came here and fucked everything up, Chlo” Max murmured  
“Max!!” Chloe exclaimed forcefully, “Don't apologize! I'm so glad you're here... Maybe we’ll be able to work something out without _Gingrich’s_ help” Chloe spat the name of her former friend as if it were poison. She sat back with a frown, trying to think of a way out of the mess they found themselves in. Chloe knew they couldn't go back to her place, she also didn't have a car so they couldn't go very far yet. _Maybe we can get a bus to Portland and Max can do her rewind trick on the ATMs there? Should be able to stuff that briefcase with money and use that to buy, or at least rent a place..._ The plan sorted in her head, Chloe turned to Max, saw the smaller girl was anxiously biting her nails and put the new plan aside for a few moments to reassure her oldest friend, “I wouldn't want you to be anywhere else, I'm sorry about Gingrich. She's a _bitch_ ”  
“Chloe... She's your friend” Max scolded Chloe  
“Not anymore she's not” Chloe replied firmly when suddenly Chloe's phone buzzed

 **[SMS, Gingbitch: 19:05]** 'Chloe?'

Chloe ignored the text after huffing in irritation, the hurt she had felt when Steph had turned her friend down was still at the forefront of her mind. She had changed the name of Steph's contact details from 'Steph’ to 'Gingbitch' on her way back to the treehouse

 **[SMS, Gingbitch: 19:07]** 'Chloe? Please answer me? I'm sorry!!'  
**[SMS, Gingbitch: 19:09]** 'Tell her I'm sorry. Please come back, I want to help you and your friend'

Chloe let out an exasperated sigh, hit the call button and lifted her phone to her ear. “Gingrich” she began coldly  
“Chloe... Please, I'm sorry” Steph sniveled, making it sound like she had been crying  
“Why are you sorry?” Chloe replied, the ice edge still apparent in her tone  
“I'm sorry I turned your friend away, I'm sorry I betrayed you”  
“Why should we trust you?”  
“I can't give you a good reason I suppose... If I turned you away once I can do it again” the auburn-haired girl mumbled  
“Right” Chloe wasn't impressed, if that was Steph’s attempt to reassure her she wouldn't kick Max out then she wasn't doing a very good job  
“Chloe, I-I’m sorry, I freaked out. I didn't know how to deal with the fact that Max is going to get a new identity, that's illegal”  
“So is selling bootlegged DVDs”  
“True Chloe, but that's nowhere near as bad as falsifying your ID”  
“Max has her ways”

Max smirked over at Chloe, she was going to pick up her fake passport and birth certificate that she had already asked for while on her way down to Arcadia Bay after she had gotten out of the hospital, get the photograph for the passport done then rewind the entire conversation away. As far as anyone was aware, the passport and birth certificate wouldn't ever have been picked up and nothing would have linked Max to the illicit documents. “Yeah, I suppose you're right” Steph wasn’t aware of Max's powers of course but Max didn't look like someone who broke the law. “D-do you want to come over, Chloe, Max?”  
Chloe looked over at Max. “Do you want to go back to Steph's?” she asked. Max nodded but gripped Chloe. “You want me to stay with you?” she nodded again

An hour later, Max and Chloe were stood outside Steph's door once again and Chloe hammered on the door. “Hey, girls” Steph smiled kindly at the pair, opening the door wider to allow Max and Chloe to walk through. She guided Max to the couch then she went to Chloe's side, the blonde had hung Max's coat up then had taken Max's bags and the briefcase up to the spare room. “Uh...” Steph was nervous. “Chloe?”  
“What do you want, _Gingrich_?”  
“I wanted to... Apologize for what I said, what I did”  
“Okay, Steph. We’ll try this again, but if you betray my Max or upset or hurt her in any way, shape or form, I will _end you_. Gotit?” Steph gulped and nodded, her eyes were wide and fearful. She knew Chloe would kill to protect Max and wouldn't put it past the blonde to actually kill her. “Oh and another thing, I _am_ staying here tonight”. Chloe's no-nonsense tone was enough to terrify the auburn-haired girl, not that she would refuse Chloe's demands after what she had done


	14. Chapter 14

Joyce still hasn’t seen any sign of Maxine, Ryan” the dark-haired woman hung up the phone and turned to her husband who was waiting anxiously for news regarding his daughter. _I still feel bad for hiding this from Chloe but she’d freak_. She thought to herself. _Not like a fourteen-year-old could do anything to help, she doesn't have a car or a license for one. It would just hurt her_  
“Well, shit” the brunette man replied with a frown. “That means nobody has seen her for over six months, not even Chloe. Do you think she's even alive, Van?” Poor Chloe... _This shouldn't have ever happened. I regret this whole thing now, hindsight truly is twenty-twenty_  
“We have to hope, Ryan”  
“I guess, but she would do anything to get back to Chloe. If Max never got there, that means she's sick or worse.”  
“You're right, Ryan. I hate it when you're right about things like this”  
“I know... Maybe it's time we announced it to the family, that Maxine is missing... P-presumed d-dead?” Ryan had to tighten his lip slightly to stop it trembling. The man may have been built like a lumberjack but he had the kindest most gentle of souls  
“Maybe it's time” Vanessa nodded and reached for her cell. “I'll call my side of the family, starting with my mom and dad”  
“And I'll call mine” Ryan searched through the phone’s memory for his parents’ number

*****

“Maxi?” Chloe called out from Steph's living room  
“Yea, Chloe??” Max called back from where she was in the bathroom getting ready for bed  
“Thank you for coming back” Chloe wiped her eyes, thankful her voice was stable despite the tears that were running down his face  
“I did it for you, Chlobear” Max spoke gently yet loud enough for Chloe to hear

Chloe's phone rang in her pocket, she rolled her eyes, picked it up and spoke, confusion lacing her tone. “Ryan Caulfield?” The blonde listened in silence for a few moments then her eyes narrowed. “No. I haven't fucking seen her since you tore her from my fucking life!!” Chloe spat the words, the blonde seemingly pulling on deep-seated anger and anxiety that appeared to date back six months to when the Caulfields left Arcadia Bay, abandoning Chloe. “She already abandoned me, Ryan... Not my fault she ran away, it's probably yours” Chloe shrugged and hung up, putting the phone back in her pocket, furious tears escaped her eyes as she attempted to calm herself down but was interrupted before she was able to get calm

“FUCK OFF!!” Max heard the yell from where she was in the bathroom and hurried to get back to Chloe having just pulled her pajamas on. It had been a long, tiring, painful day so she was eager to get to bed. As she entered the room a small object sailed close to her ear and smashed into the far wall.  
“Chloe!!” Max ran forward to catch her best friend as she fell to her knees. Her cell phone was in scattered pieces across the floor in the hallway near the door through which Max had just entered the room, tears were leaking from her eyes as she knelt there safe in Max's arms. Having not heard any of the conversation, Max was shocked and completely and utterly terrified to hear Chloe scream like that. Something awful must've happened. “Chloe?” Max whispered

“It’s... all... their... fucking... fault” Chloe whispered, each word punctuated by a deep heaving breath. “All their fault. All their fault. All their fault”  
Steph had joined them but she remained in the background while Chloe had her little freak-out. “Talk to me, Chlo” Max whispered, rubbing her thumbs over Chloe's cheeks to wipe away the tears  
“Your... Father just called me to tell me you were missing and p-presumed dead” Chloe choked out the words, knowing they'd hurt Max as well  
“Oh, Chlo, no wonder you were so upset” Max soothed, pushing down her own hurt about the situation. _Later, Max. Chloe nearly lost everything_  
“He waited months to tell me you went missing, Maxi” Chloe sobbed. “What if he never called me? I wouldn't have ever known that you had left home, that you could be dead”  
“I'm not dead, Chlo, I’m right here” Max caught sight of Steph bit the auburn-haired girl was hanging back still, not wanting to intrude  
“Six months too late, Maxi. He called six months too late”  
“I'll never forgive him either, Chlo, neither him nor my mom. That's partly why I'm staying here without letting them know. Mainly it’s for you but there's a part of me that wants to punish my... Ryan and Vanessa for what they did to our friendship”  
Chloe was very concerned about that statement. Her little doe wasn't vengeful but, under the circumstances, she decided to remain quiet regarding those worries, not wanting her beautiful timid doe to get worried


	15. Blackwell

“Miss Price” the deep voice of the dark-skinned principal spoke behind the girl to whom he was addressing, causing the girl to start and spin around to face him with a hissed swear word or two. He stood as stoic as ever, not giving anything away  
“Principal Wells” Chloe spoke once she had overcome the surprise she was feeling at Wells having snuck up behind her  
“It's nice seeing you back here for so many consecutive days” he smiled, actually smiled at Chloe who despite having been a good student before her father's death, was a scholarship student who was costing his institution money  
“Yea well I had my ass kicked by a friend for not attending” Chloe replied honestly, not much trace of snark or sarcasm  
Wells looked taken aback by the girl’s comment, when Chloe Price decided that she didn't want to do something nothing, at least in his experience, could persuade or force her to change her mind. “That's good to hear, Ms. Price. Well, go on, you have classes to get to”  
“Sure thing” _drunkard_

A few hours later and it was lunchtime and Chloe was sat with Steph and Mikey when her phone buzzed. “Hold on Mikey” they were outside around their usual table with Steph’s game master paraphernalia scattered over her end  
**[SMS: Unknown number- 13:13]** 'Heyyyyy, Chlo!!’  
**[SMS: Unknown number- 13:13]** 'Call me!!’  
**[SMS: Chloe- 13:14]** 'Who is dis?’  
**[SMS: Unknown number- 13:15]** 'Are you cereal? Who's the only person to ever call you Chlo?!’  
**[SMS: Chloe- 13:15]** 'Maxipad!!’ Chloe's fingers moved quickly to delete the text in which she used Max's name and the one before just in case anyone got hold of her phone  
**[SMS: Hipster- 13:16]** 'Duh. Oh and Thank Steph for me'

“Our mutual friend says thanks” Chloe smiled at Steph, choosing to ignore the timid hipster's original request since she had company. The DnD nerd had left a cell phone on Max's bedside table with a small note, by way of an apology. Chloe, of course, could have afforded to buy Max a phone with the money they had gained in their ATM heists but hadn't thought of it and Steph was more than happy to provide one as a step in the right direction to making it up to the two girls for what she had done. She knew she had hurt them both but she had understandably freaked when Chloe had mentioned Max needing fake papers  
“My pleasure, Chloe. Buying her a new phone was the least I could do after what happened” Steph replied, keeping her voice low and the description of the subject vague  
“I don't know why I didn't think of that. I could have purchased a new phone for her”  
“What are you two talking about?” Mikey's curious voice brought the two girls back to their senses, they had both agreed that it wouldn't be wise to let anyone know that Max was staying with Steph, just in case word happened to get back to Joyce who was in the best position out of everyone in the town to hear if someone called Max was hanging around with Chloe, even Victoria Chase liked the breakfasts and lunches sold by the Two Whales though she would vehemently deny that it was her guilty pleasure, especially around the likes of Nathan who had too been seen in the diner from time to time. If Joyce found out then Max would be headed for a one-way journey back to Seattle and one hell of a grounding and Chloe would be left all alone once again. Ryan and Vanessa probably wouldn't ever let their daughter out of the house again unless it was for school if she was caught  
“My hipster cousin is staying with me” Steph supplied, beating Chloe who had just been about to say that Steph's friend was staying with her and that she also knew Chloe  
“Oh cool, I'll have to meet them” Mikey perked up, he didn't really know anyone from Steph's family and would jump at the opportunity  
“I'm sorry, Mikey but they're like really shy. They only really ended up knowing Chloe because she was the person I asked to help them with their science homework earlier this year”  
“Oh. Okay” Mikey frowned and looked down in disappointment  
“I'm sorry, Mikey” Steph sighed and offered him some of the chocolate she had been eating  
“Not your fault” Mikey replied but still took Steph up on her peace offering despite her having done nothing wrong  
A few moments of awkward silence passed by then the loudspeaker echoed around the school, summoning Chloe Price to the front office. “I didn’t do anything!!” Chloe groaned to her friends and they rolled their eyes, of course, Chloe would profess her innocence in whatever scheme had landed herself in front of Wells, again. 

Chloe, grumbling quietly that she was innocent, stood and made her way to Wells’ office where she knocked and was shown in. “Ah, Ms. Price. Your mother is here to collect you” The man spoke as soon as she entered  
“Huh?” Chloe’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion  
“I don't think I'm the right person to explain” Wells shrugged. “You can talk here if you would like privacy”  
“Chloe...” Joyce had that look, the look that only a mother could give, one that meant devastating news would be coming real soon  
“Mom?” Chloe moved over to her mother and sat down next to her only then noticing that Joyce had been crying  
“You don't deserve this... Not more bad news after everything”  
“Mom, what's going on?!” Chloe looked closer and saw something that surprised her; guilt. Her mother was guilty over something.  
“I... It's Max. She's _gone_. She’s _missing_ , presumed dead.”

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave kudos and reviews!!


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